Esther Schweins

Esther Schweins, born April 18, 1970, in Oberhausen, is a German actress, comedian, and director. She grew up in Viernheim with her brother, the son of a carpet dealer and a photographer. Her career began in the 1990s as a comedian on the TV show RTL Samstag Nacht.

Schweins gained prominence through her appearances on RTL Samstag Nacht, where she is also considered a founding member. She became known for her parody of MTV host Kristiane Backer as Kristiane Kacker. Her work on the show earned her recognition, including a Bayerischer Fernsehpreis in 1994 and a Bambi award that same year, shared with the entire ensemble. She has appeared in over 70 film and television productions since 1994, including roles in The Superwife (1996), Sisters from Hell (1997), Klassentreffen – Mordfall unter Freunden (2001), and Whispers of the Desert (2012). She also portrayed Emmeline Pankhurst in the docudrama We are half the World in 2018.

Beyond acting, Schweins has worked as a theater director, staging the German version of 'Caveman' in 2000 and directing 'Hi Dad!' in 2009. She is also a voice actress, notably voicing Princess Fiona in the German dubs of the Shrek films. In 2004, she and her mother survived being swept away by a tsunami wave in Sri Lanka, an event that led her to reduce her possessions and become involved in helping tsunami victims. Since 2021, she has co-hosted the podcast 'Unglaublich krank' with physician Martin Mücke. Currently, she plays a recurring role in Die Kanzlei (since 2024) and was part of the main cast of Blutige Anfänger (2020 to 2024).